Ah, appetizers. I could eat a plateful of various bites and call it a meal. Oh wait, I HAVE done that. Especially this time of year, it’s easy to fill up and enjoy a whole meal of small bites. The variety is endless, and for someone like me who loves variety (And cheese. I lovelovelove cheese in all forms), it’s a match made in heaven.
Of course, all of those parties (holidays, football, office gatherings) often mean extraneous items that wind up in the fridge. One perfect example is the requisite cheese ball that inevitably either gets brought by a friend, or finds its way into my grocery cart as a “just in case” purchase.
But the cheese ball is also one of those items that somehow ends up being left behind or forgotten before the party is even over. Poor cheese ball.
Well, with my ever-active brain I’m always trying to figure out ways to use up stuff like this instead of tossing it in the trash. In fact, at a recent office party I stole this little idea and used it at a football party we had just 2 days after Thanksgiving. No more food waste with this little trick! Time to intentionally make and serve these Cheese Ball Pretzel Bites at your next get together!
I admit that I’m almost (almost) embarrassed to list this as a full-blown recipe. I mean, cheese and pretzels–not exactly rocket science. But stick with me here (pun intended). What if you could use up perfectly good snack food and make it into something that will be a crowd-pleaser AND disappear on any party food table? I mean, that’s actually pretty cool, right? And what’s a good party food? It’s making people happy about a mouth full of cheese!
Easy, tasty, and a perfect bite. These Cheese Ball Pretzel Bites sound like a brilliant idea to me!
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 8 people | 10 minutes |
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Admit it. You've done this. You get to the end of a party and realize that you have an extra cheese ball lurking in the back of your refrigerator. Now you don't have to feel guilty as you toss it--you can use it up easily! Parties, sports parties, even after-school-snacks for the kids--these little bites are the perfect way to change up the cheese ball!
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- Pull that cheese ball out of the refrigerator and grab a melon ball scoop from your kitchen.
- Use the melon ball scoop to create small, 1" balls of cheese. Arrange them on a serving plate.
- Using pretzel sticks (or mini bread sticks, or carrots, or whatever thin, edible stick-shaped food you have handy), press them slightly into each mini-cheese ball. Poof! Bite-sized appetizers are served!
Again with the variety. As I mentioned, if you don't have pretzel sticks, go with some veggies instead! Don't have a pre-made cheese ball on hand? No problem. Use cream cheese, or goat cheese. Heck even roll those cheeses in fresh herbs or other items out of your spice cabinet. Flavors galore, and a little something for everyone.
As you can see by the pictures, I served these cheese ball pretzel bites as we watched football. Specifically, Ohio State football. Even MORE specifically, we watched Ohio State BEAT Michigan. What better way to celebrate than with cheese? Well, I'm sure there are a lot of ways to celebrate, but cheese is a pretty good way in my opinion.
Three cheers for Cheese Ball Pretzel Bites!
Yummy! I love cheese and pretzels. It’s a great idea for the holidays or anytime you need an appetizer!
I love the idea of cheese and pretzels! Can I admit that I have never seen a cheese ball in real life?? 😉 The cheese looks a little like pimento cheese – this definitely gives me some party appetizer ideas! I often eat appetizers as a meal – no guilt.
My hooligans would go crazy for this recipe. Easy, scrumptious and perfect for parties. I could eat a million of these.
I love how easy this is and how FUN it is, too! My kids would love this!